Corona Devotionals

Which pew (at the church in Sardis ) are we sitting in today? The "good" pew?  Or the seemingly good pew? (And we had better figure it out.) ~~~ As a teen boy, my brother and his best friend used to have a (typical teenage boy) phrase that they would say about some teen girls: “Good from far, but far from good.” This could mean…the girls looked good from far away, but up-close… not so much.   Hence, “Good from far, but far from good.”   This could also mean that she might have been a pretty girl on the outside, but when they got to know her, she wasn’t so pretty on the inside.  Again, “Good from far, but far from good.” What would Jesus Christ say about you and me... us-- and our faith today?  Are we “Good from far, but far from good”? Are we  alive or dead ? ~~~ The apostle John was exiled to the island of Patmos, and an angel of the Lord visited him and told him to write seven letters (and what to say) to seven churches that had been planted i...

I woke up this morning still full  from last night's food.  Supper? I perhaps, but my late-night sweets snacking has become an issue-- for me.   It's too much!  And I know it.   I need a cleanse! Have you been snacking too much too?  Or maybe it's media, or spending, or swearing, or working.  Have we gotten unhealthy  in a certain area of our lives? We need a cleanse!   Lord, clean us out of our bad habits today, and cleanse us of selfishness and impurity too.  We desire to be clean before You.   Pure...at Your feet.   Holy--as we approach Your cross and the account of Your sacrifice for us  there. Cleanse us, Father. Amen. The naturalists call it a "cleanse" when we abstain from most food in order to clear-the-path, restart, and reboot our intestines, our digestive tract, and our health.  They say a cleanse works. Give us a spiritual cleanse today, O Great Physician. Let all that I am praise...

I love a good book.  I always have. Driving for on childhood vacations, I vividly remember my dad asking me to "look out the window" or to "put down that book", so that I might catch sight of the Smoky Mountains, a hawk, or any number of natural wonders that we were passing by.  I'm sure I did look up, but only briefly, and always, my nose went right back into the pages of whatever book I was reading.   I love a good book. I kept reading, and kept enjoying books.  "English" ended up being one of my college majors and (you guessed it), I read many great books along the way to attaining that degree.  And I liked it!   Because-- I love a good book. And speaking of which, the Bible is my favorite good book.  The Bible actually has the nickname: the Good Book .  It is  a good book.  The best, really.  In the last Book of the Bible (Revelation), God speaks to a few churches in order to correct and encourage them in their faith. ...

A four hour drive through three major cities, spanning the rush hours and winds sustaining 85 MPH? Worth it. He causeth the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth; he maketh lightnings for the rain; he bringeth the wind out of his treasuries.  ~Psalm 135:7 ~~~ A half-mile brisk-walk in dress shoes while dodging puddles in the rain? Light work. for  in Him we live and move and have our being,  as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’  ~Acts 17:28 ~~ Standing outside in the dark in below freezing temperatures while snow and sleet spit from the sky? Magical. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. ( 10) As the rain and the snow c ome down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, ( 11) so is my word that goes out from my mouth: I t will not ...